Radio Lingo/Codes/Signals
by Myles Barkman KG5AI
http://freqzone.home.comcast.net
kg5ai*at*comcast.net
ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support
ADW - Assualt with a Deadly Weapon
AIQ - (HFD) Available In Quarters
ALS - Advanced Life Support (medical care level)
AMA - Against Medical Advice (when patient refuses treatment, has to sign AMA form)
Ambulance - AKA Basic, staffed by EMTs with BLS equipment
Ambulatory - able to walk unassisted
AOR - (HFD) Available On Radio
AOT - (HFD) Available Out (of) Territory
ATL - Attempt To Locate
BAC - Blood-Alcohol Content (or Concentration)
Big Blow - (HFD) Special large-capacity fan used to disperse high volumes of smoke. Housed at 32s.
BLS - Basic Life Support (medical care level)
BMV - Burglary of a Motor Vehicle
BOLO - Be On the Look Out
Box (FD) - ambulance
- alternate meaning, regular alarm assignment for fire
Bump - Try to call someone on a radio channel/talkgroup
CAD - Computer Aided Dispatch
Cascade - fire truck with oxygen bottles
CCH - Computerized Criminal History
CI - Confidential Informant (civilians)
Clear/Secure your Mic (or "Is your Mic Clear/Secure?") - Keep others from hearing my traffic (for your ears only)
Code 3 - (HPD) Non-emergency response
Coded - when a patient's heart stops beating (and/or breathing stops) AKA code blue
CP - Complaining Party (complainant); also Command Post
CTW - Criminal Trespass Warning
CVA - CerebroVascular Accident (stroke)
D5W - 5% Dextrose solution in Water (given intravenously)
Defensive - (FD) fire suppression that confines the fire to the building/area of origin. No FF inside the structure.
Divert - (Hospitals) If a hospital is short on rooms, resources or has an emergency situation, they may claim
to go on "Divert" status meaning they would rather ambulances divert patient transports to another hospital.
DMV - Department of Motor Vehicles
DOA - Dead On Arrival
DOB - Date Of Birth
DOS - Dead On Scene
DPS - Department of Public Safety
DRT - Dead Right There (less than PC form of DOS)
DUI - Driving Under the Influence
DWI - Driving While Intoxicated (sometimes pronounced as a word-"DeeWee")
DWLS - Driving While License Suspended
Electronic Accountability - an automated PAR system that can warn if a fire fighter is in trouble, even if they are
incapable of saying so on the radio
EMS - Emergency Medical Services
EMT - Emergency Medical Technician
ETA - Estimated Time (of) Arrival
ETOH - Intoxicated patient (Ethyl Alcohol)
Fast Attack - (FD) usually arriving apparatus on scene uses water on truck instead of outside supply
FI - Field Investigation or Interview
Five inch - 5" fire hose used to supply water from hydrant or between trucks
FLIR - Forward-Looking InfraRed (usually on helicopter) easily displays hot/cold items (people, cars, fire)
Fox - HPD helicopter
Friendly Wrecker - will call out on radio when citizen needs roadside assistance but cannot pay regular wrecker charges
FSGI - Failure to Give Information (was called hit-at-run, minor)
FSRA - Failure to Stop and Render Aid (was called hit-and-run w/serious bodily injury, major)
FTA - Failure To Appear (in court to address charges)
GB - General Broadcast (sometimes transmitted on all PD channels)
GOA - Gone On Arrival
Go (North/East/South/West) - Change to talkgroup TAC North/East/South/West on STAR-Net trunk
Go to PAC x - Go to NPSPAC (ITAC) channel (1 through 5)
GCS - Glasgow Coma Scale (3-15) 15 being best, used to assess the severity of neurologic injury (coma)
GSW - Gun Shot Wound
HEC - Houston Emergency Center (PD, FD, EMS, Emergency Management)
HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Acountability Act, usually referred to in regard to privacy and security of patient information
IPC - Inmate Processing Center (jail)
Jaws - Jaws of Life extrication tool (trademark of Hurst)
Level 1 Stage - (FD) Come into the scene and hook up or stand by at a hydrant.
Level 2 Stage - (FD) Stage off site and await futher orders.
LOC - Loss Of Consciousness
LZ - Landing Zone, safe area set up for helicopter EVAC
Mayday - broadcast over radio when a firefighter is trapped or missing (spoken as "mayday, mayday, mayday")
Medic - Ambulance staffed by paramedics (EMT-P) with ALS equipment (also MICU-Mobile Intensive Care Unit).
MCI - Mass Casualty Incident
MDC - Mobile Data Computer
MDT - Mobile Data Terminal
ME - Medical Examiner (called to recover deceased body/remains)
MI - Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack-permanent heart damage)
MVA - Motor Vehicle Accident
MVC - Motor Vehicle Collision
NCIC - National Crime Information Center (FBI)
Neighborhood protection - City of Houston Neighborhood Protection Corps
Number x lane - subject is in the x lane starting from the left (1 is far left/inside lane)
O2 - Medical oxygen
OD - (going) Off Duty; also OverDose
OEC - Office of Emergency Communications (City of Houston Dispatch)
Overhaul - (FD) Systematic searching for hidden fires
PALS - Pediatric Advanced Life Support
PAR - Personnel Accountability Report; Fire dispatcher checks with command every 15 min.
to make sure they can account for all their crews
HFD now has an electronic system in place to do this automatically
Patient Contact - amount of time after Lifeflight lands before taking patient into care "Landing plus xxx minutes"
Perp - short for PERPetrator
PIO - Public Information Officer (gives statements to media)
Plan A - (FD) Cardiac Arrest not resulting from trauma
POV - Privately-Owned Vehicle
Priority 1 - (HPD) Urgent. Threat to life or serious bodily injury. Usually in-progress.
Priority 2 - (HPD) Usually in-progress property crimes or threat to human welfare.
Priority 3 - (HPD) No known emergency exists but handle expediently.
Priority 4 - (HPD) Requires on-scene response but indefinite ETA.
Priority 5 - (HPD) Does not necessarily require a unit response. Calls are usually handled by call taker.
Priority 6 - (HPD) Officer initiated calls (on-view activity, out to garage, etc.)
Red line - 3/4" fire hose used for small fires
Resource Management - (HFD) change of dispatch protocols when EMS and/or fire apparatus/personnel are low on resources
Retreat - (FD) impending structure collapse, blast horn for 10 seconds, off for 10 seconds, and repeat for three cycles
RIT - (FD) Rapid Intervention Team; company of at least 2 firefighters that stand-by in case of trapped or injured FF
RP - Reporting Person/Party
Salvage - (FD) Protecting or saving property in a fire scene
SFST - Standard Field Sobriety Test
Shop - usually a PD term meaning a department issued vehicle
SO - Signing On or Starting Out (going on duty); also Sheriff's Office
Solo - HPD motorcycle unit
Spikes - device used to puncture tires of a persued vehicle
STEP - Selective Traffic Enforcement Programs (State funded grant for ticketing speeders & no seat belts)
SWAT - Special Weapons And Tactics (specially trained PD units)
Switch - change to predetermined talkgroup (usually Constables going to Admin or Civil)
Take eight (8) - Go to HPD channel 8 460.225 MHz car-car
Tap Out - fire is extinguished (as opposed to under control which means no longer spreading)
Taps - (FD) additional engine companies
TLETS - Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TX DPS)
UC - UnderCover police operative
UCW - Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon
UTL - Unable To Locate
UUMV - Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle (was called driving a stolen vehicle, otherwise just Auto Theft)
V-FIB - Ventricular Fibrillation (severly abnormal heart rhythm)
V-TACH - Ventricular Tachycardia (rapid, short-termed heart rhythm)
VIN - Vehicle Identification Number
X2 - spouse or residence of public safety officer
Also, check out these rather extensive references:
NF2G Scannist Glossary
Captain Mica Calfee fire page
Some common ten codes (mainly used by DPS and some county agencies):
10-1 Poor signal, did not copy
10-2 Good signal
10-4 Affirmative; yes
10-6 Busy
10-7 out of service
10-8 in service
10-9 repeat
10-10 (Pasadena PD) meal break
10-12 disregard
10-17 hazmat team (HFD-rarely used)
10-19 (Pasadena FD) Tap out fire/disregard incoming units
10-20 location
10-21 telephone
10-22 disregard
10-23 enroute to call
10-24 request arson investigator (HFD-rarely used)
10-26 ETA
10-27 request DL (Driver's License) info
10-28 request RTS (Registration & Titling System) info (vehicle registration)
10-29 check records for warrants/stolen
10-30 request fire prevention officer (HFD-rarely used)
10-33 emergency
10-35 request photographer (HFD-rarely used)
10-36 request wrecker (HFD-rarely used)
10-37 request mechanic (HFD-rarely used)
10-38 request relief crew (HFD-rarely used)
10-40 request police/crowd control (HFD-rarely used)
10-41 (DPS) beginning tour of duty
10-42 (DPS) ending tour of duty
10-42 request two police units (HFD-rarely used)
10-50 vehicle accident
10-50 deceased person (HFD) B/W (Black/White) 1/2/3 (0-12hr/12-24hr/+24hr)
10-51 request body car (HFD-rarely used)
10-52 request PIO (HFD-rarely used)
10-55 DWI (Driving While Intoxicated)
10-85 enroute to hospital (HFD-rarely used)
10-87 arriving at hospital (HFD-rarely used)
10-97 on location
10-98 criminal history indicated
10-99 warrants/stolen indicated
Other signals:
1-11 one alarm fire
2-11 two alarm fire
3-11 three alarm fire
4-11 four alarm fire
5-11 five alarm fire
6-11 six alarm fire (do they use alarm levels above 5 in Houston?)
7-1 (HFD) tap out fire
710 page (HFD) dispatches nearest EMS supervisor and district fire chief to a scene
13 (Pasadena PD) assault
29 (Pasadena PD) property offenses
35 (Pasadena PD) drug offenses
66 (Pasadena PD) misc investigations
Airport codes (as Houston defines them):
Alert 1 Standby response-aircraft on ground with minor problem
Alert 2 Airfield response-aircraft airborne with major problem
Alert 3 Aircraft crash or fire on or near airport
A 1-20 souls
B 21-75 souls
C 76-260 souls
D 260+ souls
Condition 1A Bomb threat against aircraft on ground or baggage on aircraft, or baggage to be loaded
Condition 1B Bomb threat to a structure (other than aircraft/baggage)
Condition 2 Skyjacking of aircraft or terminal building
Miscellaneous Notes:
HPD Fox (helicopter) monitors 460.450 MHz (HPD Ch.10).
HPD wreckers also monitor 460.450 MHz.
Different dispatch tones on HFD will tell you what kind of call is about to be dispatched:
An alternating tone (High/Low) is used for EMS calls.
A constant tone that goes on and off is used for Fire calls.
A long constant tone is given to broadcast info to everyone on a channel (tap out, misc announcements).
HPD sends out a couple of short tones when dispatching a priority 1 call (in-progress).